The Secret Life of Natasha Romanoff
by Alice Tannis- The Sixth Siren
Summary: Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, is an Avenger. She can fight off a terrible school, aliens, and out of control robots, but can she handle the discovery of her biggest secret? She will bare the weight of this secret forever, but will it be easier once she meets another girl like her? (I do not own The Avengers or H2O: Just Add Water)
1. Prolouge

The Secret Life of Natasha Romanoff

Prologue

I looked around the classroom. I couldn't find time to escape, but I had too. My teacher wasn't looking, and I got my chance. I jumped up and grabbed the beam hanging from the wall. I slung my body over the exposed rafters, and I opened the vent on the ceiling. I climbed through it and shut it behind me, leaving the classroom behind.

I made my way outside, and fell onto the ground. I brushed my red hair out of my face and looked over the ocean. I sighed. _'You just can't stop doing this. Huh, Natasha? You just have to go out every day, don't you?'_ I looked down at the water at my feet. My lips curled into a smile. I stepped into the water. It was cool and smooth.

It flowed over my body, and I saw the water cover my vision, then I fell to the ground. I looked down at my feet. My legs had been replaced with a red and gold tail. My name is Natasha Romanoff, and this is my secret life. I am a mermaid.


	2. Chapter 1

1... Hiding One Life from the Other

 _Many years later…_

"Come on, Tony. You really need to do something other that fiddle with your giant toy action figures."

"Shut up, Clint. You don't tell me what to do!"

"That could quickly change, Mr. Stark."

"Will you two shut the heck up?" I sat on the couch, picking at my nails. Ever since the team split up, each visit became a brawl. We also always played 'Who can pick up Thor's Hammer the furthest', but I never tried. I knew I would fail, and I wasn't about to make a fool out of myself. I wasn't as compelled to prove something. Or maybe I was too proud with myself to try, fail, and have my ego crushed, not that I had a big one. At least... I don't think I do.

Anyway, Tony and Clint had been at it all morning, and my head was pounding. Thor put his hammer on the table, and he gestured to the squabbling 'boys'. They are too immature to be called men. Tony scowled at Clint, and wrapped his hand around the handle. I watched as he struggled, and I laughed at him.

"So, you think you could do better?"

"No, but it's amusing to watch you embarrass yourselves."

"Nat, is this the time you finally try?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because i'm not a fiveteen year old fighting over the Xbox controller."

"Meaning… what?"

"I don't need to wow my friends. I only need to impress myself."

"Hmm. Try."

"No."

"Try."

"I said no, Tony!" He grabbed my wrist. He stood me up and pulled me in front of the hammer.

"Try, Natasha. I want to laugh at you."

"If I do, will you leave me alone?"

"Yes."

"Fine." I wrapped my hands around the hammer. I watched as everyone sat down on the couches. I looked down at the hammer. I pulled on the hammer, and it moved. I was surprised, and let go. The look on Thor's face… that went right into 'The Vault of Mental Pictures I Want to Keep Forever'.

"Wait, did I… move it?" I grabbed it again. It moved further this time, I got hotter.

'Crap.' I watched as the drink on the table began to bubble. I let go of the handel, and spun around. I rushed out of the room, hoping no one saw the water.

"Looks like someone is a goody, even more so than we thought. I bet she could have picked it up all the way."

Later, I sat in my room with my hands tucked in my lap. I still felt hot, but I was cooling down fast. My hands moved, and I began to float the water on my bedstand. I shaped it, and played with it. A knock came to my door, and I quickly replaced the water in the glass. I opened the door. "Bruce. What do you need?"

"We need you in the living room. It's Fury." The word 'we' uneased me, but once he said 'Fury', I mentally panicked. We moved to the room, and I noticed I had cooled completely. I breathed relief. Fury stood in front of the couch, and I uneased again. I looked around. I found that Fury wasn't alone. S.H. I. L. D. agents were everywhere, and they stared at me.

"Natasha." Fury's voice made me jump.

"Nick." He held a radiation detector to me. "Uh, why are you…"

"From you? But… nevermind. Natasha, come with me."

"But…"

"Now." I looked back at the faces of the other Avengers. They looked astonished. Was I sending off radiation? How? Nick lead me to a SHIELD truck, and we climbed in. "Nick? What is this about?" He took out a bottle of water. "What is that for?"

"You." He handed me the bottle, and I looked at it.

"What do you want me to do with it?"

"Put it on your face." I tensed.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Mmm… do I have to?"

"Yes."

"You really don't want me to."

"I didn't want to do this." He hit the bottom of the bottle, and the water covered my face.

"No! No, no, no! Fury! I…" I was cut off as the water, crawled up my legs and soon I was covered in it. I felt my legs disappear, and the water faded. The gold red of my tail and shirt replaced my dark, black outfit, and Fury nodded. "Dang it, Fury!" He looked me over.

"I had expected the radiation to have come from one of the other Avengers with powers. I hadn't expected this of all things, Romanoff." He pointed down my body.

I clenched my hand into a fist, and the water evaporated from my skin. I reverted, crossed my legs over one another, and Fury looked at me again. "I've only seen one other mermaid, and I would have never though that one of my prized assassin's was holding such a power."

"Such flattery. This is going in my file, huh? Great, just what I need." I crossed my arms over my chest, and I looked down at the water bottle. I flicked my fingers around a bit, and the water moved to Fury's face. He wiped the water from his cheeks, and I clenched my hands over my chest again.

"See, you could use these powers for something better than playing pranks."

"I was irritated." He nodded. He apologized, but I pushed away the accomplished feeling I had. He was apologizing to me. Nick Fury, the super agent, was apologizing. I looked at the water that he had missed on his face. I leaned closer to him and focused on it. I slightly made a fist, and the water slowly evaporated, not getting hot enough to burn him.

The truck stopped, and Fury helped me out. He pulled me away from the road and over to the beach. "Your partners are going to have a lot of questions, so I thought you would want to relax before I take you back."

"Mmhmm. Thanks, but all you wanted was for me to get wet? But why did we need to take a SHIELD truck just to maybe go to the beach? How did you know I was the way I am?"

"Romanoff, you show many signs just like the other one did. You hate being wet, but I still don't understand why you love the rain, and you hide when water comes in contact with your skin, or you dry as fast as possible."

"Hmm. I'll work on that."

"Or... you could _try_ and use your powers to help The Avengers. This could come in handy real soon. We've got a few jobs for you that may require your capabilities, but this would have been useful to have known earlier…"

"Sorry. I was self taught that this was a bad idea to share this."

"I understand. Oh, and it's a full moon tonight. Get back here as fast as possible, or just swim back to the middle of NYC, if you can find a way. I would suggest coming here."

"I will." I turned to the water, and Fury watched as I dove in, and swam off. The water flowed smoothly past me as I darted through the water. I felt so powerful, so free, but I knew that the moon would mean danger for me and my friends. Fury wanted me to use my power, but he didn't know that I was probably going to be investigated and my name would be altered, and I liked being called a Black Widow.

I found a drop off and curled my tail under me. I listened to the sound of the waves, and played with the fish that investigated me. After about an hour of racing the local marine life and listening to the ocean, I broke the surface. I breathed in the air, and looked at the beach.

The truck had been moved, but Fury was standing with his officers along the water, and they were talking and playing cards. Fury looked out over the water and saw me. He pointed at the setting sun, and I sped back to shore.

I drug myself onto the beach and away from the water. I boiled the liquid, and I turned back into the spider that I was. I stood and Fury lead me back to the vehicle. I sat next to him this time. "You are the only one who has found out about my other life. Soon the whole team will know, and then i'll be screwed in so tight i'll never get out."

"Romanoff, don't look up." The roof of the truck was windowed, and I saw the moon's rays shining over the metal floor. I kept my eyes on the rivets in the flooring, and Fury didn't talk anymore. The drive was dead quiet, and it gave me time to think. I thought about how each Avenger would react.

Tony would laugh at me, until I proved it, anyway.

Bruce would be baffled and wonder how in the world his partner had become half fish.

Thor would spew weird Asgardian words and sayings and other things.

Clint would probably think I was weird, and he would be totally right.

Steve would dis the fact that mermaids existed, then be completely shocked when I proved it, then start figuring out how to exploit my water based voodoo immediately.

We arrived at The Avenger tower after a while, and Fury helped me keep my focus away from the moon and it's reflection. Once we got into the tower it was easier, but the hundreds of windows made it a bit more difficult. Fury walked alongside me to my room, which was window free, thank god.

He sat me on my bed and left, placing a small box on my nightstand while walking past. I didn't get a chance to ask him what it was. I picked it up and looked it over. The words were moving, and it hurt my head to look at them. I decided it would be best if I tried to read it after the moon set.


	3. Chapter 2

2… The Other Direction

I woke up the next morning, and laid with my face buried in my pillow for a while. Finally I decided it was time to woman up and come clean. I got dressed (Even though I had fallen asleep in my clothes) and opened the door.

I was surprised to find that the other were not in the living room. I walked in and sat down on the couch, but I realized that someone was behind it. I jumped up and held out my gun. Tony. "What the Heck? Are you spying on me?" I realized he was only ⅛ awake, and probably drunk. "Did you all drink last night after I left? Well, isn't that nice."

I sat back down on the couch and holstered the gun. Since Tony was asleep and they would probably find out anyway, I used my powers to boil his blood. He sprung up, totally awake, but held onto the couch when he realized he was still getting over his drinking party last night. "Natasha?"

"Thats right, Metal Boy."

"Very funny. Iron Man and Metal Boy. You're just hilarious, huh?" I didn't answer. His cheek was still red, so I cooled it off a bit. He didn't notice.

"Tasha? Hello, anyone home?"

"Yes."

"Is it Fury?"

"No, its you and the others. I need to tell all of you something."

"What?"

"I said all of you, Tony."

"You'll have to wait. We all ha-"

"I noticed."

"Hmm." He staggered over to the front of the couch and sat next to me. He sniffed me. "Why do you smell like salt water?"

"That's part of what I want to tell you." As soon as I finished the sentence, Clint and Steve came into the room. Steve obviously had stayed the most sober. Clint was somewhere between. Cap helped Hawk over to the couch, and looked at us.

"Which one of you smells like fish?" I lifted my hand. He gave me a puzzled look.

"Just wait." I rested my head on my hand, which was propped up on the arm of the couch. He shrugged and sat down next to Clint.

After a while, Thor and Bruce made their way to the living room and each had noticed the salt water smell. I hadn't showered last night because of the moon, and I hadn't done it this morning because… I honestly didn't know.

Each was puzzled by my radiation sensor pass yesterday, and why I smelled like I had filled my room with water.

"As you all know, Fury passed me on a radiation test. I smell like the ocean because that's where we went yesterday. I have another life away from the Avengers and SHIELD." Each looked at me even more suspicious. "I am a mermaid." They began to laugh.

"Nat, we're drunk and you're making jokes? I love your humor." I kept a serious face and Tony shut his mouth tight. "Prove it, then." I looked over at the sink. I moved my hands, and the water from the faucet floated above the coffee table. "And.. this is proof how?" I sighed. I put the water back in the sink.

"Get me wet."

"Excuse me? Get you wet?" Steve was still confused.

Tony shrugged and picked up the water I had left the day before. He flicked it at me, and it touched my skin. I counted in my head, then closed my eyes. I felt the transformation, and heard the gasps of the other Avengers.

A hand ran over my lap and I opened my eyes. "Tony, no. Just because I look different doesn't mean I feel different. I still am Natasha. Don't ever touch me." Tony pulled away. I looked down at my knees and the others were more focused on my new attire.

"Uh, Tasha? Your clothes are gone." Bruce tried to look away.

"I know. I hate it." I looked over at him. His eyes were looked on me. I crossed my arms over my chest. The gold red bra wasn't exactly what I wanted the others to remember me in, but it really wasn't my choice. Tony seemed most interested in my new topless self, and I slapped him. He finally looked away from me. I heated the water on my skin. Bruce grabbed my hand.

"Are you making yourself steam?"

"I'm boiling the water on my skin." He pushed my nails harder into my palm. The water began to burn. "Ow! Bruce, let go." He released my hand, and I slowly boiled the rest of the water off. I reverted, and stood up. Clint grabbed my arm.

"Tasha, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"Because it's stupid. I should have never snuck out during the assassin classes, and I wish I had never found that stupid pool thing."

"Stupid pool thing?" I pulled away and locked myself in my room.

 _Later..._

After a while, I stepped into the shower. I slid down the wall and left the water off. I put my head on my knees and stared forward. An hour later I finally turned on the water and actually showered. I stared down at my scales. I ran my hand over them and sighed. I knew there was a way to fix it, but I wasn't sure I wanted to.

The knock on my door was ignored as it had been for the past hour and five minutes. I continued to stare at myself. I didn't want to stay in the water any more, so I drained it and dried off. I stood in front of the mirror, and looked at my face. I sighed at my image, and thought about myself.

'Black Widow, Mermaid, Assassin, Superhuman Swimmer, Female, Mermaid, Avenger, Weirder Than Them, Redhead, Red tail.' I tried to think of everything about myself other than fish, but it was too hard.

My secret was out, and I couldn't do anything about it. My self confidence was running right out of my body. I put my hands over my face and hit my back on the wall before returning to my 'face on knees' position.

After a minute or two, another knock came to my door, and I gave in. I got dressed and opened the door. It was Bruce.

"Natasha, how long?"

"What do you mean?"

"The uh…" He pointed downward.

"Since I was very young. I almost don't remember the age I was. It's been so long,"

"Can you control it?"

"Ever wondered why I wear a suit that covers my whole body, and is waterproof?"

"Good point. What can you do?"

"Lots of things."

"Like…" I looked at the water on the cup on my nightstand. I made it float over to the door and levitated it in between us. I froze it, and he caught it. I melted it, and floated it again. I made it evaporate, then reappear in a larger quantity. I turned the orb into crystal, and I caught it.

"Natasha, don't touch it!"

"Bruce, it's ok. I can touch it when it's like this." I handed it to him. "It's super strong. You should test its durability."

"I will." I smiled. He smiled back. He turned and I closed the door.

I moved to my bed, and looked at the box. The words began moving again. My head began to pound. "What is this writing?" I said as I held my head and looked away. The headache cleared, and I looked again. Still moving. I looked away.

'I wonder…" I turned on the bathroom sink and floated the water. I turned off the faucet and returned to my bed. I put the water over the box and engulfed it in the liquid. Nothing.

"Hmm…" I moved the water away. Another knock came, and I dropped the water. It splashed over the floor, and some hit my leg. I sighed. It wouldn't have been a big deal if I had been wearing my suit, but I was in casual clothes now. I turned into a mermaid. "Might as well come in. I already dropped it." The door opened, and Thor stepped in.

"Dropped what?"

"The water. Sorry, Thor."

"No need."

"I just want to be left alone."

"Tony would like you."

"Of course he does. He saw me almost topless. So did you and everyone else! I'm so screwed." I looked down at myself, and Thor put a hand under my chin.

"I think you're lucky. Now Clint is the only real powerless Avenger." I laughed.

"Let me dry off and i'll be right out." He exited the room and I looked down at the box. The words weren't moving. I picked it up, and as soon as I did I reverted. The water had dried. The words were shifting again.

"Dang it." I stood up and brought the box, then left to go find Mr. Stark.


	4. Chapter 3

3… The Box, the Comforter, and the Midnight Savior

I felt the box shifting in my hand. I entered the living room and Tony ushered me over to the counter top. I set the box down next to him.

"Can you read this?" He looked at the box.

"No. What language is it?"

"I can't tell. The words are moving."

"No, they're not. I can see it just fine. I just can't read it."

"But… Fury. He left it for me. I wonder why?" I tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Tony tried, and also failed.

"What is gluing this thing shut?"

"I don't know." I looked at the box, then looked away.

"What's wrong?"

"I get a headache when I look at the words."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but it stopped when I changed." He looked at me. "No, don't you dare! Tony!" He had reached the sink, and turned it on. He grabbed the sprayer, and covered my face and chest. I fell to the ground, and he looked down at me.

"Really, Stark? You really are a nuisance, aren't you?"

He looked me up and down, then handed me the box. I rolled my eyes, and looked down at words stopped scrabbling, and I could read it. It wasn't a language I was familiar with, but I felt I knew it by heart. "It says 'The sea isn't the same, anymore. Is it?'. Thanks Fury." I rolled my eyes again, and set the box on my lap. Tony looked at it.

"You can read that?"

"I don't think i've seen it before, but I feel like its my native tongue or something. I wonder why the words were shifting?"

"Because it's mermish." Fury came up behind me, and looked down at the box. "Only mermaids can read it."

"But why did the words shift when I was me?"

"Because you are a Moon Pool- made mermaid, not a born one. You aren't a underwater native. You're an … _invasive_ species. A half species, so your brain couldn't figure out which mind to use."

"Oh." I looked down at my tail. Fury took the box from my lap.

"Did you open it yet?"

"No."

"You should." I took the box back, and it popped open at my touch. Inside were photos of Fury and another young mermaid. I also found various tips written by this girl. 'Tips on how to live as a half fish' I read. I laughed.

At the very bottom of the box was a small fake book. Inside was a ring with a small stone imbedded in the top. 'Use this well' I put the ring on my finger. I reverted after about ten minutes, but I barely noticed. Fury touched my shoulder. I put a hand over his and thanked him. Tony had stood there the whole time, and I looked up at him.

"Maybe you should let me go."

Tony had been playing with my fins, and I had ignored him, caught up in the photos and notes, but now I was totally focused on his hands gripping my feet. He had obviously had a one man party. He was drunk, again.

"Right. Uh..." He shook his hands off me, and I stood up. Fury left not long after, and I retired as well.

 _The next morning…_

I stretched my arms upward, and let them flop back down by my sides. I rolled upward so I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I looked over at the clock, and it was 10:00 am. I instinctively looked down at my body. Human. I sighed in relief. The boys hadn't come into my room last night, or at least didn't leave evidence. Not that they could do much. No, the school took care of that for me.

I dressed in my suit, which I planned on doing more, now that they knew how to mess with my temper. I looked in the mirror, and brushed the hair out of my face. I brushed my teeth and returned to my bed. I picked up the box and ran my hand over the top. I didn't look at it, but I traced the words with my fingers.

It was weird to see them moving, but feel them staying still. I put the box back on my nightstand, and I leaned my back against the headboard of the bed.

I stared ahead, examining the wall and my feet. I got up and moved into the hall. I strolled into the living room, my focus on the windows. I stood in front of them, and stared down at the city. I sighed. I didn't belong here, not anymore.

I hugged myself with one hand and touched the window lightly with the other. I let my hand float away from the glass, and into a mimicking position of the other.

Someone came up behind me, and instinctively I turned quickly and held my hands in front of my body. Bruce put his hands up in a calming way, and I put my hands down. He pulled me into a hug, and I returned it.

"I can't do this anymore. I don't belong with the Avengers. I belong… I don't even know anymore." I shook my head.

"Where'd your confidence go, Tash?"

"I lost it, I guess. I just feel so different. So… far away from everyone."

"It comes with the whole world knowing your secrets." When he said 'whole world', I felt my stomach flip upside down.

"I wish I never went to that stupid island and I wish I had never got in that stupid pool and I wish I had never swam under that stupid moon." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at the city again. Bruce moved so he was next to me. I put a hand on the window and leaned closer, then pushed and turned away. I stepped toward the table, and Bruce followed.

He sat next to me, and I buried my head in my arms. He looked down at me. I began crying. This was the first time he had seen me totally break down. I put my hands over my head. I didn't know. I just didn't understand. I was so confused and I was mindless at the moment. My body wasn't responding and I just cried. I hated the sound of my own crying. It made me feel weak, but at the moment, I was.

Bruce didn't understand most of what was happening. He knew how I was feeling, but he'd didn't know how to help. He'd never had to help. I was crying for the first time in front of one of my co workers, and I could feel how uncomfortable I was making him. I lifted my head and turned away.

"I can leave." I brushed my hair back and looked toward the hallway. "I'm being totally irrational." I stood, and he grabbed my arm. I looked down at his hand, then up at him. I was still able to feel the tears running down my face. He pulled me back into my seat. He moved his hand over my cheek, and I laughed. He smiled at me.

"I may not understand, but you're my friend. I want to help."

"Thank you, but you don't have to do this. Bruce, I can feel how uncomfortable this makes you."

"That doesn't matter. You are more important than my comfort." I smiled at him. He and I began to talk. We talked about how I got my powers, and why I liked the rain. I like the rain because it was a way I got to sleep at the school, it kept me tied to the outside, and I was drawn to it because of my powers. He shared a few of his passions with me. It soon became a 'get to know each other' talk.

We laughed at each other, and Bruce got me to spill a few secrets about the ocean. I told him that Fury had a few things he wanted me to do, and Bruce agreed with him.

"It will be a good chance for you to break this shell you've developed over your powers. I think you make a beautiful fish." I laughed. He brushed my hair out of my face, and I looked at him.

"The shell is more of a coping mechanism. It makes me feel secure, and now that it's broken I would expect more of these episodes. My shell is cracked, and that makes me feel like i'm a leaky bucket. I can't keep myself together. I fear that Natasha Romanoff we all know is gone."

"She'll never be gone as long as I have a say in it. I need her. She keeps me under control. Now, i'll return the favor. Here." He held his hand out to me. I took it, and he pulled me out of the chair. He took me down to the lab. I looked around. I immediately was hit by a hard wall. I covered my eyes, and I held my head. He looked at me.

"Are you alright?"

"The writing. I can't look at it like this. It hurts my head. It's mermish. In my eyes, it's all shifting uncontrollably. It doesn't happen when I change." He quickly ran around moving all the words off screen. "Jarvis, please open the DNA files."

"Yes Sir."

"DNA files? How did you get my DNA?"

"I didn't, yet. I need you down here. Can I?" He held up a needle. I looked at it. I sat in the chair and nodded. He pushed the needle into my arm, and I winced a bit. He drew my blood, and he loaded it into the program. I watched as Clint and my DNA generated in the middle of the room. I examined them.

With how many differences between my signature and Clint's, I was surprised that the school hadn't noticed.

"Why Clint?"

"He was the only one who had no powers. It wouldn't be a good test if we used a corrupted sample."

"True." He examined the signatures. He pulled a few bars off of mine, and he looked at them closer.

"These are weird."

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes.

"No, I mean look." I stood and kneeled in front of the projection. I zoomed into the parts. They looked different. "Fish?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"Human, but they've been altered. They are infused with something else."

"Hmm. Do you need another?"

"Another what?"

"Blood sample. I could change for this one. It might give a different result."

"Good idea, Natasha. How'd you come up with that?"

"You and Tony aren't the only science nerds." He looked at me, and I smirked. I returned to the chair. I pulled water out of the air, and placed it on my skin. I changed and picked up the needle. I pushed it into my tail, and pulled the blood. I handed it to Bruce, and he loaded it.

I watched as my DNA was put next to my Human one, and I saw how withered the bars looked. The few that looked different were brighter and smoother than the rest.

"Well, now I know what I look like on the inside. I'm broken in and out now."

"Natasha?"

"What?"

"Why do you keep saying things like that?"

"I can't help it. I just feel so broken that I can't think of anything else. I feel like i'm too open to the world now, even though I haven't even used my powers in public." He stared at me. I looked down at my tail. I ran my hand up and down my lap, and I sighed.

"I can't think of how this is going to go over with the people out there. I just.. when I was a kid I believed in thing like this, even though I was forced to train and go through terrible things. I can just imagine the little kids out there, fangirling over me." I watched as he stood and picked up my hands.

"We'll be right there with you." I smiled.

 _Later…_

" _Natasha! Hurry! The crowds are waiting!" I began to breathe heavily. Tony dragged me out on stage. He sat me in a chair, and poured a bucket over my head. The scientist picked me up and pushed me into a truck._

 _After a while,we exited the truck, and we entered a lab. They strapped me to a table, and I screamed. I lashed out at them as the began to cut me and poke me. They strapped down my arms. They pulled a drill over my head, and I yelled at them as it came closer and closer…_

I shot upward. I was hyperventilating, and I glanced around nervously. I touched my forehead. Nothing. I backed up until my back was against the headboard. I hugged myself. A knock came to the door. It scared me, and I screamed. The door opened, and I stared at the figure in the doorway.

"No! Leave me alone! Don't cut me!" I covered my face and the figure came closer. I tucked my knees closer into my chest, and I felt a hand grip mine. I screamed again.

"Nat? Are you alright?" I heard Clint's voice. "You were yelling in your sleep."

I attempted to catch my breath, but it didn't happen. "I was? Sorry. I had a dream. Tony was showing me off to the people, and the scientist took me. I felt like I was back at the graduation."

"What happened there?"

"You don't wanna know."

"Ok. Are you going to be ok? You're still sweating and your breathing is a bit, uh… off."

"I'll work on it." I relaxed, but my knees were still clenched against me. I felt Hawk put a hand around me and sit down.

"No one will get you. I promise." He slipped his other hand under my knees and picked me up. He carried me to the living room, and set me down on the couch. He pushed me down so I had my head rested on the arm. He sat on the other couch, and layed down.

"I won't move. I promise." I smiled. Maybe they all really did care. I wasn't alone. I rolled over, and I drifted slowly back into sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

4… Unveiling the Science Project

I felt a hand shaking me awake. I rolled over and looked at the face. It was Hawk. We smiled at each other and he helped me sit up. He sat next to me and looked at my eyes.

"Did you have anymore dreams?"

"Yeah, but none were as bad as the one you had to save me from."

"Good."

"Yeah. Thank you for that."

"No problem." I brushed my hair back with both hands and let them fall to my lap. I looked out the window. Clint put his hands on my shoulders. I put mine over his.

"You all care, don't you? You really are my friends…" He moved his hands off my shoulders and stood up.

"Natasha, come with me."

"Why?"

"Just come on." I stood up and followed him. He went outside, and I hesitated. "Come on." He took my hand and I was forced to walk. He pulled me through the town. No one seemed to notice us, until a young boy saw me.

"Spider!" I smiled and pulled away from Clint. I kneeled in front of him.

"Hey little man. Where are your parents? Are you in need of saving?"

"Yes!"

"Then get ready, because here I come!" I picked him up and he laughed. I looked at him. I sighed.

"Are you ok, spider lady?"

"What? Oh, yes, i'm ok. I just… nevermind. I need to save you!" I looked around. I walked toward the town square. I saw a couple who looked very worried.

"Is that your family?" I pointed at them.

"Yes! mommy and daddy are over there!" I walked over to them.

"Are you this boy's parents?"

"Yes! Oh my god! Thank you so much!" The mother looked over the boy.

"You're welcome."

I put the little boy in his mother's arms. "Stay with your mom, ok?"

"Got it! Bye, spider lady!"

"Goodbye, my little man." I felt a smile creep across my lips, and it wouldn't go away. I pushed back through the crowds to Hawk. As I got towards him, I noticed he was watching the families reunion. Clint turned and stared at me. I felt my face go red.

"Why were you so… different?"

"I have no idea what you mean."

"I mean you were acting so motherly."

"I can't be a mother. I've never had kids. I _can't_ have kids."

"I know. Your face just told me that you want to, though."

"Maybe. What, does it matter to you?"

"It sorts does."

"Mmm. No, I don't think it should."

"Fine. It doesn't. Let's keep going." Clint took my hand again, and we continued through town. I looked around. It looked like everyone was gone. we came up on central park. I saw a stage. "Is this… Clint! No! I won't do it! This looks exactly like my dream! I can't!" Clint pulled me harder. "CLINT!" He pushed me backstage.

I looked at him and I was moving my hands while I talked. "Clint, what is this about? I can't do this now! This looks exactly like the stage in my dream! Please, don't make me do this!" Clint turned as Tony came onto the stage.

"You all know Black Widow, correct?" The crowds that had gathered cheered. "She isn't just a spider. She's a mythical creature of legends… a mermaid! Now, lets get her out here." The crowds cheered again, and Clint pushed me towards the curtains.

"No!" I got out on stage. I was forced to walk forward and sit down, or else look like I wasn't professional, which I was. I waved at the young boy I had helped, and he waved back. Tony pulled the bucket from the stage. I cringed as he lifted it over my head. I looked up and saw the bucket right over my head. I looked back toward the crowd.

I pushed my eyes closed. The water fell over me, and everyone gasped. I just sat, not willing to look down or even open my eyes.

"Proof that the seas are full of mystery! And she has seen it all!"

"I wouldn't say all…"

"Shh! Now, everyone, she is an Avenger, yes?"

The crowd agreed.

"She will be using her new powers to assist us and SHIELD!"

The crowds cheered again. I felt the chair move. I was being pulled off stage. I remembered the scientists, and my eyes shot open. I looked around, and realized it was my friends pulling me away.

"Natasha, are you ok? You seem a bit stressed."

I looked up at Steve. "Do you all realize what Tony just told the whole world? My biggest weakness! Now everyone all over the world knows how to get under my skin, and I can't do much when i'm immobilized. I'm an assassin, and I work with movement and surprize and stealth. When everyone is pointing a water gun at me, I personally blame Tony!"

They all looked at each other as the realized what they'd done to me. I'd never be able to go off guard again. I looked down at my tail while I began to boil the H2O off it. Bruce held my shoulder while the others argued with each other.

"I have an idea. Hurry and finish that, and we'll sneak away."

"Right." I finished, and Bruce lead me back to the tower.

 _A few minutes later..._

"So, my idea is," I sat down across from him on the couch. "If I test on your DNA enough, I could find a way to stop the change, or at least delay it. I want to help you, but I need your full attention."

"Got it." He and I talked for a bit, and finally came up with a conclusion.

"We'll go to the beach tomorrow, and i'll do a few tests on your reaction time and The speed of the sparkly water stuff that changes you. Then i'll load it to JARVIS, and he can help us. Right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you. Now, Natasha, you have to let me help."

"I will."

"Great! then lets get started!"


	6. Chapter 5

5… My New Friends

Bruce hooked me up to his scanner. "So, all I do is stay perfectly still?"

"Just wait a few seconds while I scan you. When you see the laser move past your face, you can breathe again."

"Wait, I can't breathe?"

"Only for a few seconds. Wait, you can hold your breath for an hour and a half at a time, can't you?"

"If your going to change me."

"Alright, just a few seconds." I watched as he closed the chamber. I felt a warm feeling move up my body, and I assumed it was the laser. I stopped breathing, and the scanner moved over my face. I stayed still, but breathed again. The chamber opened, and Bruce let me step out. ' _That really was fast.'_ I watched as he looked over the scan, and I asked him what he was doing.

"I want to help. I'm going to try and change your reaction to water."

"Wait, what? Bruce, it doesn't work that way! I can't just… i'm not… I don't… Ah!" I threw my hands up from across my chest until they covered my face, and after about ten minutes I moved out of the room to avoid any mishaps with either of our tempers.

 _(Mental high-fives for whoever can figure out what each of Natasha's sentences were gonna be!)_

I sat in the living room, thinking about my confusion, my recent break down, and my temper going through the room because of Bruce. ' _I do love him, though. He knows it. I just don't know why, or when, I started feeling this. Ah, well, I guess i'll just live with the fact that I love Bruce, my secret is out, and that I love children. The other Avengers have flaws, too. Mine are just… different.'_ I thought to myself.

I looked down at the coffee table, and then to the floor. They both shined. I didn't. I wasn't in the mood. I heard the elevator, and then jets. Tony and the others had finally figured out Bruce and I were here.

"God, what took you so long?" I asked, and JARVIS began to remove Tony's suit.

"We may have gotten held up…"

"You were fighting that whole time? Good Lord, what were you fighting about?"

"We didn't realize what you said, until you said it. Then we all sort of blamed everyone else. It quickly became a battle. You and Fury did cause quite a bit of trouble with this secret. Did he know before the radiation test?" Tony sat down next to me.

"No. I forgot about that test. I wonder why I passed? I've never noticed something like this before."

"Maybe it was just time for someone to find out." He was trying to… make me feel better? I looked at him, and I felt something. I felt… happy. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. He was sincere? I didn't know, but it felt that way. He waved the others away, and he poured us drinks.

"So… why did you join us, The Avengers?"

"I dunno. I just… I liked the idea of saving the world I guess." My answer was cut short. Someone knocked on the door. Tony and I looked at it, and it opened. Unknown person. I stood, and Tony followed me.

"Who are you?" She looked surprised by the question.

"You don't remember?" She laughed. "It's Susan, the girl with Fury? I'm hear to take you on a… trip, I guess."

"Fury sent you? Prove it, then. I don't usually trust the people who stagger into Stark tower, even if I do know them." I shot a quick glance at Tony, and he smiled.

She pulled a tag from her shirt. "SHIELD guest, Susan Quil. Fine, you're with Fury. What do you want again?"

"To take you."

"Take me… where?"

"To the ocean, duh. I wanted to take you to Mako, but I had to make sure it was alright, because, you know, I don't want to take away someone who could save the world if something happens.

"Uh… Fury wants me to leave New York, and go to some unknown island? Fine. I'll think of it as… a vacation, I guess."

"Great! Come on!" I looked at Tony, and he shrugged. I looked back at the elevator. Susan was already waiting. I stood next to her and she pressed the button. The doors closed.

 _The next day..._

"Its amazing how fast these SHIELD jets can go. We're almost to Mako already!" Susan looked out the window. I looked her over for the millionth time. Her red hair was lighter than mine, and in long braids. Her skin was tanned. Her green eyes shined with fun. I wanted to see how this person would try to win me over as a friend. She looked like older Pippi Longstocking.

She stared out the window and talked to me, but I really wasn't listening. I was just wishing for some quiet. Eventually she fell asleep, and I enjoyed it. I took in the scenery, and she didn't bother me with questions or stories.

After a few hours, we landed and the plane shook her awake. We got off the plane and moved through the lanes, instead of going to the airport. She confused me with this, but she motioned me to stay silent.

I did as such, and she lead me away from the planes to a boat. Boat. Alright…

She boarded it, and I hesitated. Boats were not my thing. She motioned excitedly to me, and I cautiously took her hand. She pulled me up onto the deck, and I moved as far from the edge as possible. She did the exact opposite. She held onto the edge, and I thought she might have well been dangling off the side.

The boat sped across the water, leaving me nervous. We reached Mako Island. It was almost the peak of midnight, and Susan was getting jumpy. She yanked me off the boat, and before I had time to speak, she was dragging me through the dense forest.

She stopped suddenly, and I had to grab the tree next to me to keep from falling. Right at my feet was the inescapable entrance to a cave. I looked at her.

"It's your choice now. The cave leads to a way to fix you, or you can walk away now." I stared down into the cavernous black. She let go of my wrist, removing some pressure. My throat was slowly closing. I could heal it all now… right now. Let all the torment disappear.

Or I could do what Fury wanted. I could stay this way.

Susan saw the stress on my face. She looked down into the hole, too. My breathing was all I heard echoing throughout the blackness other than the faint, almost nonexistent sound of waves.

 _(I'm putting up a poll on my profile for the next chapter. Should Natasha keep her powers, or should she give them back to the moon pool? Community choice…)_


	7. Chapter 6

6… My Mind's Been Made

Without much of a second thought, I turned toward her, and hugged her. She gasped and then realized what was going on. Still totally confused, she hugged me back. I looked down at the hole from around her neck.

"Susan, take me home." She nodded, and we broke apart. She hadn't won me over as a friend, she had become one by default. The only person I knew who understood. As we approached the boat, I laughed.

"Hey, Susan? Do you really _want_ to take the boat?" She smiled ear to ear, and grabbed my wrist again. I ran with her to the water, and we dove in together.

She and I swam toward a coral reef, and she broke away from me. She hid on one side of a coral tree, and I the other. We peeked over it at the same time, and laughed at each other.

We sunk back down, and swam out opposite sides of it. I circled around a rock, and turned back. She came face to face with me, and we laughed again. I looked her over, and realized how happy she was. How happy _I_ was. She took my hand.

I looked up at her face, and she pointed upward. When she did, I saw a dark shape move over our heads. She swam to the surface. I followed. The S.H.I.E.L.D. symbol came into view, and I smiled. The other Avengers and Fury looked over the railing, and we waved to them.

"My mind's been made, guys. I'm staying!" They smiled, and I looked at Bruce. He looked at me, and I at him. I gestured for him to come to me, but he shook his head.

"You're in the water, remember?"

"And that's going to stop me?"

"Seems like it." I looked over at Susan, and she nodded. We worked together, raising the water around us. We rode the wave as high as we could, and then let it go. The water crashed down over the boat, and she and I landed on the railing.

"Water can't stop us." I grabbed the color of his shirt and pulled him to me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and I did the same. Both of us were wet, but the cold didn't seem to bother him. The others watched us, and Steve even blushed a bit. I broke it and stared at him.

"Bruce?"

"Natasha?"

"Did we just…"

"Yes." And with that he pulled me into another kiss. Not only was I with the man I needed, but I was the way I needed to be. The wind blew my hair around our faces, and he held it back with his hands.

I made fists behind his back and dried myself off. The bubbles didn't interrupt us for a second, but he picked me up of the railing and made me stand.

After a while, he pulled away from me, and I noticed his reddened cheeks. I touched his hot face with my hand, and he turned back toward me.

"I love you, Tash."

"I love you more."

"I love you most." He combed my hair with his fingers, and I looked down at his chest.

"Forever." I looked around at everyone. Susan, Fury, Steve, Clint, Tony, Thor, and Bruce. "We will avenge the earth, one world at a time. Let's go back to new york."

I am Natasha Romanoff, and this is my not- so- secret life. I… am a mermaid.

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **(Dear Readers,**_

 _ **My goodness, this took forever! Thank for the continued support, kiddos! I love ya!**_

 _ **Onetimewritter ;] )**_


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